


Hell's Nightmares

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cuddly Dean, Dean Has Nightmares, Enochian, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Hell, Sam Ships It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 17:51:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7116526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean frequently has nightmares about his visit to Hell, which was almost a year ago now. He's oblivious to the fact that Sam is aware of these dreams, and he certainly doesn't know that Castiel is always there to calm him down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hell's Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> a tumblr post inspired this little piece; i should probably edit it

"Goodnight, Dean," Sam spoke into the darkness, even after he heard his older brother's breathing even out. He wondered if his voice would help ward off the dreams.

The brothers had just finished a hunt in a little town in Kentucky and were staying in a motel overnight before searching for another hunt. Even though Dean had been raised from hell almost a year ago now, the memories from down there never left him. 

Dean had nightmares about it. About torturing souls. About Alastair. About being tortured himself. He would yell and he would scream in his sleep, in the middle of the night. Any given night, no matter where they were or who they'd met or what they were hunting. 

Dean didn't know Sam knew.

I mean, how could you not wake up to the sound of your brother shouting in his slumber? It was heart-wrenching and loud. Sam wanted to help. He wanted to comfort his brother in some way, any way, but he knew that Dean wouldn't accept it. "No chick-flick moments, Sammy," he'd say. Besides, Dean was paranoid and he would be up and ready to fight in seconds if someone touched him in his sleep.

But there was something else about the nightmares that Dean was oblivious to. Something else that only Sam noticed.

The youngest Winchester was awake within hours of falling asleep. Dean was mumbling in his sleep, and it would only progress to yelling. Sam shifted so he was facing his brother's bed, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw barely-there tears, only a few, slipping down Dean's cheeks and onto the pillowcase.

If anyone were around to see the brothers, they would see the eldest one in the midst of a dreadful dream, soaking his pillow, while the younger one watched with a sympathetic look on his features and the desire to help radiating from him. 

Sam wanted to help, yes, but he did not. Someone else would no doubt come to do just that; he knew this for a fact. So he waited. He waited for the angel who raised his brother from hell to arrive with a soft flutter of wings.

Half an hour passed, according to the alarm clock on the nightstand between the motel beds, and no angel was around. Sam was beginning to worry. The angel always came to console his hunter, ever since the first nightmare. 

Dean was close to screaming. His voice was loud, audible, yet slurred with sleep. He was jerking around the mattress, talking about souls and torture and Cas. "Cas, save me," he said shakily, the tears now coming freely. "Castiel! I can't... I can't do this... Cas, please..."

The angel was still nowhere to be found.

Sam lifted his head to look around the room, listening intently for the familiar flutter of wings. 

Then, just as Dean shouted Cas' name as if he were angry, a figure appeared in the darkest corner of the room. 

Sam dropped his head and breathed a silent sigh of relief. He wasn't sure how much more of his brother's suffering he could witness.

Castiel had probably noticed that Sam was wide awake, but if he had, he didn't say anything. The angel simply approached Dean's bed and sat down without so much as a rustle.

Sam watched as Cas, careful not to touch the hunter, leaned down and began to whisper into Dean's ear. Sam could never understand any of the words. He could only assume that they were in Enochian, Castiel's native tongue and the language of the Heavens. 

After a few moments, Cas laid his hand on Dean's shoulder, and his touch somehow didn't wake him. It was like Dean knew exactly who was touching him and saw no threat. And another few minutes later, Dean was silent and still, his tears drying on his cheeks.

Cas stayed there, unmoving, for hours. Sometimes he took a break from speaking and ran his hand up and down Dean's arm. The Winchester continued to sleep peacefully, with an angel literally watching over him.

Sam would watch this all play out, every single time Dean had those nightmares. Cas never failed to show up and lull Dean back into a peaceful slumber. And during the day, whenever the brothers and the angel were on a hunt together or simply together, Dean and Cas had some special kind of aura between them. Cas would say it's their 'profound bond', and Dean would claim it's only friendship, nothing special.

Sam knew, though. He had a feeling his brother was helplessly in love with an Angel of the Lord. He knew Castiel not only had a 'profound bond' with Dean, but had a bond that was beyond friendly with him. Sam knew all of this, but he wondered if they knew. Did they realize the feelings they obviously had for each other? 

This question was answered, suddenly, right in front of Sam Winchester's own eyes in the dark of night.

As Castiel lightly drifted his hand along Dean's arm, the hunter turned over. He lay on his side now, facing the angel. Sam's breath hitched in his throat when Dean's arm raised to wrap around Cas' shoulders and pull him down. Cas went obligingly, without a word, his blue eyes glued to Dean's sleeping face. The Winchester shifted closer to his angel, resting his head on Cas' chest under his chin. Their arms wrapped around each other, holding the other close, and Dean let out a content sigh before drifting deeper into dreamland.

Sam stared at Cas, at Dean, at both of them, stunned. They knew. They both knew damn well how much they loved each other. Sam wondered if they knew, however, that their feelings were mutual.

Castiel seemed to be aware that Sam was wide awake and witnessing everything. His icy blue eyes stared right at Sam, almost glowing in the dark. He whispered Sam's name, unsure.

"Yeah, Cas," Sam replied softly, the corner of his mouth shifting into a smirk. "I know. It's alright."

Cas' tense posture immediately melted after the words left Sam's mouth. He seemed to curl into Dean, to protect him like a shield. He closed his eyes, pressing a gentle kiss into Dean's blonde hair.

Sam felt like his heart was going to burst with happiness for his brother. He knew Dean thought that no one loved him, that he was worthless. If only he realized just how much that celestial being loved him. 

So Sam fell asleep with a smile on his lips and the perfect image of Castiel and Dean in his mind. When he awoke again, it was morning. Dean was up and about, packing his clothes into his bag and brushing his teeth. "Rise and shine, Sammy!" he said cheerfully, clapping his brother on the shoulder. Castiel, of course, was gone.

Later, as the Winchesters were getting into the Impala for another road trip, Sam said with a smirk, "You know, Dean, you're pretty clueless."


End file.
